5 Reasons Why Personalized Video Platforms Can Help Artists Earn Extra Money And Sell Merch During Coronavirus Shutdown

Entertainment is among the many industries which have ground to a halt during the Coronavirus crisis, meaning many artists are finding themselves unable to work for the foreseeable future. Luckily, a variety of personalized video platforms have given them a way to bring in a little income and sell merch as the shutdown stretches on.

Guest post by Mahesh Vellanki, Head of Growth for Rally 

As the world struggles to fight the Coronavirus, the entertainment and sports industries are at a standstill. Emerging artists and touring musicians are facing an uncertain future as music venues and tours are being shuttered indefinitely. Small to midsize creators (YouTubers, Instagramers, TikTokers), many of which supplement their income through full and part time employment in the service industry, are finding themselves out of work for the foreseeable future. Even sports stars are being impacted, especially UFC fighters that need to fight in order in order to earn a living. Personalized video sites could provide a much-needed revenue jolt during the COVID-19 crisis From Cameo to OnlyFans to our newly launched site, Taki, there’s a ton of new revenue opportunities with direct-to-fan customizable short form videos. We’re already seeing incredible success stories for creators to tap into a much-needed new revenue stream while building stronger relationships with their fans. Here are a few of the reasons why it’s worth exploring during the crisis. 

1.Extra Income with the Potential of a Full-Time Gig

Personalized videos have the tremendous potential to evolve beyond birthday shouts to premium content custom-tailored for a specific fan. Imagine a business model where an artist could get JUST 100 of their fans to spend about $4 a day on personalized content (that’s about the price of a cup of coffee). Guess what…they’d earn more than $130k a year. In this unstable economy, this could be  a strong viable option. Take-home pay is critical right now and while some personalization sites like Cameo take a large 25% cut of each booking, Taki gives creators 95.5% of all bookings. It’s a no-brainer.

 2. No Fear of Demonetization or Random Algorithm Changes

Personalized videos give all the control to the creator. They set their own price and types of fan interactions, decide which requests to fulfill, as well as where and how they will promote to their community. There’s no fear of demonetization or random algorithm changes. 

3. Don’t Have to Have a Legion of Fans to Make Money

We’re starting to see emerging artists and small to midsize creators and athletes drive significant orders by developing very creative ideas and then communicating exactly what they are offering to fans. Streamer Gina Darling sold 25 Takis in less than a day, when she teased she would yell at fans at Vietnamese. Fan requests ranged from playful to more serious. One fan who just signed up for the police academy asked for an inspirational pep talk. Similarly, acclaimed singer songwriter Danny Worsnop sold more than 70 Takis when we offered his fans personalized shout-outs.A few artists are even offering personalized music. We received more than 30 orders in less than 48 hours when emerging hip hop duo Year of the Ox offered fans playful personalized raps. Fans showed amazing creativity: one requested a diss track against a disease his brother was battling, while another fan got the guys to help him ask someone out on a date. While the Year of the Ox is an emerging group, their creative approach and direct pitch helped drive interest from both new and existing fans proving that Taki could be a useful tool for new artists to build a fanbase, while also finding a new revenue stream that could supplement income between performances particularly now where music festivals are being cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

4. Move Merch and Discover New Personalized Experiences 

Adding personalized videos into the mix drives extra incentives for a fan to buy merch. Recently, popular Twitch streamer GernaderJake partnered with Taki for an amazing offer for fans: a gift card to his merch store for the first 5 fans that bought a Taki. He promoted the experiment on Twitch and the 5 spots were quickly snatched up in less than 40 mins. And it doesn’t have to be low-cost items like T-shirts. Recently, UFC Fighter Suga Sean O’Malley was able to couple a Taki with a signed pair of fighting gloves for $225. The sky is truly limited to what personalized experiences and merch creators and artists can offer their fans.

5. Cultivate a Fleet of Super Fans

While the first wave of fandom was focused on content for mass consumption, the next wave is grounded in personalization. Just like the creators a decade ago had to figure out what content will attract fans on a mass scale, there’s a tremendous opportunity now for creators, artists and athletes to crack the code on individualized content experiences that their fans will pay for and as a result cultivate a fleet of super fans. Now, in this new era of social distancing, fans will crave direct contact and interaction with their favorite creators and artists like never before. These fans will partner with creators and artists to help them decide what personalized experiences they want and how much they will pay for. They will happily spend a few dollars a day to get a steady flow of content customized and personalized for them directly. Interested artists can join the Taki waitlist at https://go.taki.app/